Toyota celebrates 50 years of its ubiquitous Hilux in South Africa, a pristine example of the N10 model was available to view at the recent Legend 50 and GR Sport launch in Botswana.
Calvin Fisher made this cool little clip of the classic Hilux that greeted us at the Chobe River lodge in Kasane, Botswana.
More than a million models sold
The first Hilux models made their way to Mzansi in 1969, they ran a basic 1.5-litre engine and the short wheelbase model provided a very attractive alternative to the larger Australian and American bakkies with their thirsty six- and eight-cylinder engines that held the major share of the pick-up market at that time.
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Back then the Hilux was built by Hino (Toyota's truck division) in Hamura, Japan.
Since then, Toyota has sold over a million Hilux models in South Africa as vehicle's popularity mushroomed in the commercial and agricultural sector.
For 2019, Toyota has launched the Legend 50 model to celebrate the 50-year milestone while the Gazoo Racing Sport model features under the skin changes to improve handling characteristics.
The Hilux is now also a permanent fixture double-cab lifestyle bakkie segment and last month they sold over 4500 units.